Being in the Moment

We are thrilled to exhibit the artworks of Nooshfar Vassei at her solo exhibition “Being in the Moment”. This collection captures on canvas the artist’s experience of immigration and time. “Four years ago, after a life of painting and creating art for 30 years in Iran, I immigrated to Canada. Like all other immigrants, I went through a period of mental and emotional complexity for which not only my lifestyle was affected, but also my creativeness and artistic sense was temporarily silenced. Due to the overarching emotional complexities of migration, for a period of time, I felt especially paralyzed artistically. Thinking about the past, the life and art I had known for decades, and distressing about the unknown future felt debilitating. It was around this time period when a close and extremely wise friend advised me of the value of the “present time”. She encouraged me to paint without the boundaries of memories, expectations, or an outlook on life. This is when I discovered mindfulness in the realm of art and creativity. To paint from a live object or person required me to be wholly immersed in and focused on my subjects. It also taught me a new way of looking at ordinary objects around me. The magic of still life painting allows me to capture the object placed in front of me by strokes of paint, oil, pastel, or pencil, and create a life and soul within those strokes. Depending on the subject, arrangements, lighting, color, and paint, I try to depict a variety of emotions. At the same time, being in the moment helps me navigate the challenges of migration. My new series of artwork, portraits and still life depict my struggles with reminiscences of the past, and qualms of the future for which I now have found the perfect solution – to be in the moment.” Nooshfar Vassei July 25th to August 5th Tuesday to Saturday 3:30pm to 7:30pm Opening reception: Saturday July 29th 4:30pm to 6:30pm FREE entrance